Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Microsoft's 3D computer offers a world for your hands

Microsoft's 3D computer offers a world for your hands

The way we use computers now looks very antiquated compared with a new interactive see-through OLED display from Microsoft Applied Sciences.

Jinha Lee, an MIT Media Lab Ph.D. student and a research intern at Microsoft, worked with Cati Boulanger (a researcher at the company) on a new type of computer that seems like a stepping stone to something much greater. Lee describes the see-through 3D desktop in greater detail on his personal blog.

At first glance, the user puts his hands behind a screen to type on a keyboard. However, that screen is actually a transparent OLED (by Samsung) containing a computer that you can control with 3D hand gestures.

You could quickly shuffle through various applications and open windows in a manner that looks somewhat like a fusion of "Johnny Mnemonic" and "Tron" (not to mention "Minority Report"). A camera captures head motion to provide a sense of depth and accurate viewing angles, as well. The project is on display at Microsoft TechForum 2012 in Redmond, Wash.